Massive win for Cláudia Gadelha as she submits Kowalkiewicz with RNC:

Do we see Jędrzejczyk V Gadelha 3? 

An exciting classic grappler versus striker matchup takes place at UFC 212 as Cláudia Gadelha faces Polish contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the co-main event. Gadelha is an incredible aggressive grappler while Kowalkiewicz is a precise volume over power striker, with a world class Muay Thai and Kickboxing background. Does Gadelha have the conditioning to win or will Karolina outscore her Brazilian foe.

Mario Yamasaki was our referee for this three round affair with Kowalkiewicz closing the distance early on landing a right left combination. Some nasty shot from the clinch stung Karolina Kowalkiewicz as Gadelha looked for an early ending. Double under hooks led to a trip for Gadelha as she looked to take the back of her Polish opponent. First round finish for Gadelha as locks up an incredible rear-naked choke against Kowalkiewicz.

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Max Holloway pounds out José Aldo to claim third round title victory:

An incredible display from Holloway, as Aldo falls from grace once more.

The main event of UFC 212 sees arguably the greatest matchup in any divison this year as Featherweight demon José Aldo looks to defend his undisputed crown against Hawaii Interim champ and striking sensation Max 'Blessed' Holloway. Aldo is most certainly the greatest Featherweight to ever step foot into the sport looks to reassert his utter and once unprecedented dominance over the entire 145lbs roster, while Holloway is like a young lion ready to overthrow the leader of the pride, but faces the biggest challenge of his impressive career to date. Expect fireworks.

Experienced 'Big' John McCarthy was our man in the middle for this one, a scheduled five round scrap. The first five minutes began with both men in orthodox stances, and a great deal of movement for the opening minute. Max had so far pushed forward twice to no avail, with Aldo scoring with a decent right hand. Aldo then tagged Holloway with a left hook and followed with a knee as Holloway was sent backward. Aldo scored his first leg kick but ate a straight on the exit. Max looked very tentative so far and he looked to settle, with so far very little output from the Hawaiian. First round goes to José Aldo. Max certainly has to increase his output and avoid allowing Aldo to get too comfortable.

Second round began on good terms for Aldo, cracking a liver shot with a left hook, before a jab folllwed a straight for the Brazilian. Holloway is still as of yet to get going with two minutes of the second round past us. Holloway then tagged José with a right hand, certainly grabbing the attention of the Manaus hero. Aldo then counters brilliantly, with Max beginning to loosen up as the minutes piled up. Solid left uppercut and right hook landed clean for Holloway, as the Hawaii native began to taunt Aldo and landed some fire. Still Aldo on top though. The latter rounds shall be interesting.

The third round seen a early knee counter missed for Aldo. Aldo was surprisingly electing against using those tremendous leg kicks, as Holloway began to work his jab effectively. A massive right hook downed Aldo and with big ground and pound, Aldo looked in massive danger. Full mount for Max Holloway raining down massive strikes, as he took the back and looked to finish with a choke. From the back, Holloway pounded out Aldo as the Brazilian lost his crown in the third round.

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What's next for Max Holloway:

The Hawaii hero after his UFC 212 triumph over José Aldo.

Travelling to hostile territory in the form of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Hawaii favourite Max 'Blessed' Holloway set out to unify the Featherweight title, as he faced arguably the greatest Featherweight in MMA history, José Aldo. The Interim champ started slow, with Aldo countering well with a quick jab which seen him steal the first two rounds. The tide changed drastically in the third, as a big right hand from Holloway dropped Aldo, with the Brazilian in deep water. Transitioning from mount to the back, 'Blessed' pounded the Manaus favourite, eventually forcing referee 'Big' John McCarthy to step in and save Aldo with just under a minute left in the third round, thus crowing Holloway the undisputed UFC Featherweight king. So, what's next for Max Holloway?

First defence against Frankie Edgar: This bout makes the most sense for the future of the 145lbs divison, particularly with Edgar's most recent domination of young contender Yair Rodríguez. Edgar faced Aldo for the Interim crown at UFC 200, but was once more unsuccessful against the Brazilian, but overcame heavy hitter Jeremy Stephens at UFC 205, and with his decimation of 'El Pantera', he has surely earned another crack at Featherweight gold. This matchup poses many questions, can Edgar get the takedown or can, 'The Answer' deal with the striking of 'Blessed'?

Rematch with Cub Swanson: Another top contender vying for a title tilt is long time competitor, 'Killer' Cub Swanson. Both Holloway and Swanson have met before, with the Hawaii gold holder securing a guillotine finish, but since then, the Palm Springs striker has built up four consecutive wins. A black belt in both Judo and BJJ, Swanson is also a crazy good boxer, with legit power, evident from his 2016 fight of the year against Doo Ho Choi. Swanson's most recent octagon appearance came agaisnt slugger Artem Lobov, so maybe a bout with someone like Ricardo Lamas would be enough to earn him a title shot, especially with the recent injury to Chan Sung Jung.

Conor McGregor superfight: This occurance isn't as unlikely as you may think, and it may even see former foe McGregor return to 145lbs or Holloway move up to 155lbs, with gold on the line from either party. McGregor told how he just wasn't 'excited' when it came to his formerly owned Featherweight divison, but with the prospect of revenge for Holloway, and reclaiming a previous title for McGregor, this one may be on the horizon. The only real disadvantage to this bout would be the further holding up of the Lightweight divison, and it most likely will have to wait until boxing business with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is delt with. Holloway and McGregor have of course face before, namely in 2013, with McGregor winning a unanimous decision, despite a torn ACL. Both men have since improved no end so a rematch at this stage of their so far illustrious careers, makes a lot of sense.

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Derrick Lewis V Mark Hunt: What will go down:

'The Black Beast' is closing in on that title shot.

Two of the heaviest hitters in the UFC Heavyweight divison square off at UFC Fight Night Auckland, as the impressive Derrick Lewis faces MMA veteran and hometown favourite Mark 'Super Samoan' Hunt.

#6 ranked contender Lewis has witnessed a meteoric rise in his stature since his incredible knockout win over Travis Browne at UFC Halifax, where he subsequently extended his undefeated streak to 6 straight fights. 'The Black Beast' is still only 32, quite young for a Heavyweight, but has similar almost scary one punch KO power as opponent Hunt.

One of the most recognisable men in all of MMA, New Zealand native Hunt, has also competed in PRIDE FC, where he stopped the phenomenal run of Wanderlei Silva, before then beating Mirko Cro Cop in just his fourth professional fight. With just 2 wins from his last five contests, 43 year-old Hunt still dreams of grasping that UFC Heavyweight title, coming closest against Brazilian Fabrício Werdum in their Interim title bout. With a professional record of 13-12, Hunt is quite the patchy inconsistent fighter, losing 6 fights in succession between 2006 and 2010, and was brutally stopped last time out against arguably the greatest Heavyweight striker in history in the form of Alistair Overeem, with a patented knee from 'The Reem' ending Hunt's night. Hunt also has a spotty kickboxing record, with notable victories against the iconic Jérôme Le Banner, Gary Goodridge and Cape Town favourite Mike Bernardo.

For men who hit as hard as these pair do, I find it highly unlikely that we see the entire 25 minutes of action in this main event, with one big shot from either, enough to end the night. Known for his once iron like chin, Hunt has been considerably tested in the last 5 or so years, with Lewis a much younger and dangerous matchup for the Kiwi.

Derrick Lewis via knockout.

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Mark Hunt stops an exhausted Derrick Lewis in the fourth:

Derrick Lewis to step away from the UFC octagon.

Our main event of UFC Fight Night Auckland sees hard Heavyweight hitters Derrick Lewis and hometown hero and veteran Mark Hunt commence battle. Lewis is in search of a 7th straight win in the octagon, while the 'Super Samoan' will be looking to recover from a massive knockout loss against Alistair Overeem last time out. Although this is scheduled for 25 minutes, don't expect this one to go the distance.

Experienced British referee Marc Goddard was the third man in the octagon tonight for this one as the opening round got underway, with an early push kick for Lewis. A heavy leg kick scored clean for Lewis. Hunt then rushed in with a missed combination, before blocking to head kicks in quick succession. A good uppercut landed for Lewis who was fighting off the cage, before Hunt stuffed a frail takedown attempt from 'The Black Beast'. Both men were very cautious and respectable of each men's team power in the opening round. Similarly to Hunt's most recent bout with Overeem, blood was once more flowing from the leg of the Kiwi, as a result of a successfully checked leg kick.

Lewis again tried a head kick early on in the second, telegraphing it maybe. Marc Goddard called a stop in the action after an unintentional eye poke, with Hunt able to continue. Both still very tentative in the second, with Lewis eating some decent leg kicks from Hunt. A big right elbow from Hunt found it's target brilliantly sending Lewis reeling backward. A good left hand from Hunt again smashed Lewis as the buzzer sounded to end the third. Second round goes to the Kiwi.

The third round started with Hunt again circling Lewis onto the fence. Lewis then countered and landed a knee to the body, before three meathook uppercuts missed their mark. Lewis was swinging for the fences with bad intentions in every shot, but so far, was unable to land. Lewis was breathing really heavily with under a minute left in the third, allowing Hunt to pressure and land some shots to the body of 'The Black Beast'. Another round for Hunt, with Lewis in trouble.

The fourth round of this matchup began with Lewis still breathing deeply, fighting from the fence, before Hunt stumbled Lewis with a jab straight combination. A huge right hand from Hunt really hurt Lewis who covered up and forced Marc Goddard to step in and stop the fight.

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Tarec Saffiedine V Rafael Dos Anjos: What will go down:

Can 'RDA' find a way back to his brilliant best?

The opening bout on the main card of UFC Fight Night Singapore, sees a scintillating striking affair at Welterweight, between Belgium star Tarec Saffiedine, and Brazilian bruiser Rafael Dos Anjos. Trying his luck at 170lbs for the first time on Saturday, 'RDA' will look to silence his many critics and recover from two consecutive losses, against the veteran 'Sponge'.

Holding the title as the last ever Strikeforce Welterweight champion, the Brussels native is also a black belt in Karate and BJJ, and a respectable red belt in Taekwondo. Saffiedine was unfortunate last time out against 'Stun Gun' Kim, losing a close decision, extending his losing slide to two. A patient striker with fantastic technique, Saffiedine isn't regarded as an extreme powerhouse like maybe a Tyron Woodley, but his experience at Middleweight may cause a physical battle for Dos Anjos.

After he systematically outclassed Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis to claim the Lightweight crown, 'RDA' made light work of now fellow Welterweight Donald Cerrone in the pair's rematch, before missing out on the biggest pay check of his career, when he broke a metatarsal before his main event clash with Conor McGregor. Returning to defend against Philly favourite Eddie Alvarez in July 2016, Dos Anjos was stumbled in the first with a big shot before an onslaught of strikes from 'The Underground King' seen him snatch the title. Headlining The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3 Finale, alongside Tony 'El Cucuy' Ferguson, superior timing and precision from the grappler seen Dos Anjos slip up once more. Niterói native Dos Anjos is a Muay Thai black belt under the tutorship of reknowed coach Rafael Cordeiro, and is also capable of a finish from the mat, with 8 submission victories lying comfortably on his résumé.

I think Dos Anjos' aggressive pressure tactic we seen against Pettis would most certainly be a go to against Saffiedine who I wouldn't expect to push the pace, and will most likely prove a success in Singapore.

Rafael Dos Anjos via knockout.


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Dong Hyun Kim V Colby Covington: What will go down:

Can 'Stungun' push for a late title surge?

An interesting Welterweight showdown takes place this weekend at UFC Fight Night Singapore, as veteran Judo expert Dong Hyun Kim takes on NCAA Divsion I All-American wrestler Colby Covington in the second bout of the exciting main card. The 'Stungun' extended his winning rise to three with a close decision win over Belgian Tarec Saffiedine, as he looks for a resurgence of his career. With just one professional defeat, Californian submission star Covington called to be the host of Rafael Dos Anjos' Welterweight bow, but was eventually handed the tricky South Korean Kim.

A 35 years of age, Kim is surely on the final run of this career and with a firm grip on the #7 spot at 170lbs, a convincing win for 'Stungun', may see him leapfrog both Carlos Condit and Neil Magny. With notable wins over Nate Diaz, Matt Brown and Brazilian grappler Paulo Thiago, Kim is a wiley competitor, who's takedown's and 4th dan in Judo has certainly proved a big factor throughout his career.

With 6 submission victories to boast about, Colby 'Chaos' Covington has garnered a lot of attention for his pursuit of 'RDA' in recent months, but should not overlook Kim who can land a finishing shot still at this experienced stage of his career. A good guillotine finish from Brazil's Warlley Alves halted the breaks on Colby's career, but his most recent win, a decision over Bryan Barberena, extending his unbeaten run to an impressive three.

A really difficult matchup to call, with the experience most certainly on the side of 'Stungun' and with the incredible wrestling of both men, it seems they may cancel each other out. In my opinion, Kim can implement a similarly precise and patient striking tactic that seen him outpoint Saffiedine, which may prove successful against an aggressive Covington, looking to make a name for himself.

Dong Hyun Kim via unanimous decision.

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